Suspended cable scaffold assembly

ABSTRACT

A versatile suspended scaffold assembly is provided. The scaffold assembly includes a plurality of suspended cables, each having a plurality of support elements pressed or clamped thereon at regular intervals, the distance between consecutive support elements being selected between 250 mm and 1000 mm, preferably about 500 mm. Beams are supported by the support elements on which platforms, guardrails and stairways may be mounted.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of scaffoldings and moreparticularly concerns a versatile suspended cable scaffold assembly foruse inside a building or a vessel, for working on the side of or under abridge, at the construction field of a multi-storied building or thelike.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional scaffoldings are erected by successively assembling pipesand related components vertically from the ground level up, along theexterior of a structure such as a building. With this method, themaximum height of the scaffolding is limited by physical factors such asweight, installation and stability, making any attempt to go beyond areasonable height too costly to be realized in practice. Anotherdisadvantage of the conventional bottom/up method of setting up ascaffold is that the resulting structure occupies a lot of space toprovide proper balance and support to the whole scaffold system,obstructing access to the building at locations where the scaffoldserves no purpose.

A solution to the above-mentioned issues is to suspend scaffoldings fromthe top of the building or structure it allows access to. Varioushanging scaffolds designs are known is the art. For example, FOSTER(U.S. Pat. Nos. 763,274 and 763,275, both dated Jun. 21, 1904) disclosesa scaffold comprising a set of outriggers, steel cables carried by theoutriggers and platforms suitably supported by the suspending cables.Adjustment possibilities are mentioned, but no specific teaching is madein that regard or as to the means to clamp a scaffold to a building. Thepossibility of adding levels to the scaffolding is discussed, but notthe modification of the already mounted scaffold levels. Generally, thestructure taught by FOSTER seems rudimentary in terms of size and nocommunication is provided between the different stories.

Other designs of suspended scaffolds are for example known from U.S.Pat. No. 1,750,269 (JOHNSTON); U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,071 (KIKUCHI); U.S.Pat. No. 4,413,707 (LIENHARD Sr.); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,563(PUCCINELLI et al.).

Despite the teachings of prior art, there is still a need for a stable,inexpensive, semi-permanent, interconnected, multi-levelled, adjustable,light suspended scaffold assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a suspended scaffoldassembly for allowing access to a structure. The assembly first includesa plurality of cables suspended from an elevated portion of thestructure. Each cable has a plurality of support members rigidly affixedthereon at regular intervals therealong with a distance betweenconsecutive support members being selected between 250 mm and 1000 mm,the support members of neighbouring cables being in alignment with eachother.

The assembly further includes a plurality of beams, each mountedhorizontally between a pair of cables. Each beam has oppositeextremities, each provided with a fastening assembly for fastening thisextremity to a respective cable of the pair of cables. The fasteningassembly is supported by one of the support members affixed to thisrespective cable.

The assembly finally includes a plurality of scaffold elements mountedto the beams and positioned so as to allow access to the structure.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is alsoprovided a suspended scaffolding kit mountable to allow access to astructure. The kit includes a plurality of cables suspendable from anelevated portion of the structure, each cable having a plurality ofsupport members rigidly affixed thereon. The support members aredisposed along the cables at regular intervals with a distance betweenconsecutive support members being selected between 250 mm and 1000 mm. Aplurality of beams are further provided, each mountable horizontallybetween a pair of cables. Each beam has opposite extremities, eachprovided with a fastening assembly for fastening this extremity to arespective cable of the pair of cables, in a supported relationship withany one of the support members affixed to this respective cable. Aplurality of scaffold elements, mountable to the beams so as to allowaccess to the structure, is also provided.

Advantageously, the suspended scaffold of the present invention may bemounted in a limitless number of configurations to allow proper accessto a structure. The positioning of the support members further allows toeasily design and modify these configurations before and afterinstallation so that at all time access to the structure can beoptimized.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be betterunderstood upon reading of preferred embodiments thereof with referenceto the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-level scaffold installed on astructure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a multi-level scaffoldingaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the top of a scaffold accordingto a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the top of a scaffold according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed side view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional top view of an adjustable ring of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional elevation view of an adjustable ring of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a partial elevation view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a partial side view of a cable of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a partial front view of a cable of the present invention.

FIG. 14A is a front view of a part of a scaffold assembly according toanother preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 14B is a partialside view of the scaffold of FIG. 14A; and FIG. 14C is a top view of acable clamp used in the embodiment of FIG. 14A.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a suspended scaffold assembly20 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It isunderstood throughout the present description that the scaffold of theinvention is intended to provide access to any appropriate structure,may it be a building or a vessel, for working on the side of or under abridge, at the construction field of a multi-storied building or anyother structure which needs to be accessed by a scaffold system, indoorsor outdoors. It is a particularly advantageous feature of the presentinvention that it provides great flexibility of design so that it may beadapted to structures of a wide variety of shapes and heights.

The scaffold 20 includes a plurality of supporting cables 22. The numberof cables in a given assembly may vary and is preferably sufficient toprovide the necessary access to the structure. The cables are preferablymade of threaded steel of ⅝″ of diameter, but could have differentdimensions or be made of any sufficiently strong material, such as forexample nylon, aluminum, stainless steel or even be chains of suchmaterials.

The cables 22 are solidly suspended from an elevated portion of thestructure. By “elevated portion”, it is meant that the fastening pointof the scaffold to the structure is sufficiently high to ensure that thescaffold provides access to the areas of the structure which needaccessing, and it is understood that this does not necessarily need tobe at the actual top of the structure. Referring more particularly toFIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment, outriggers 24 are affixed to acounterweight 25 or directly to the structure by any appropriate meanssuch as bolts, and project horizontally therefrom. The outriggers couldfor example be embodied by any I-Beam or beams of rectangular or roundhollow sections, etc. The cables 22 are suspended from the outriggers bysolid attachment means such as eyebolts. In cases where the portion ofthe structure to which the outriggers are mounted is uneven, means maybe provided to adjust the length of the cables to compensate, such as aturnbuckle 23 (see FIG. 4). It is of course understood that any othersuspension system able to suspend cables from an elevated structurewould still fall within the scope of the present invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacingbetween the cables varies from 7′ to 10′ apart, and the length of thecables is either 50′ or 100′. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, according toanother preferred feature of the present invention, a typical connectionbetween two cables 22 and 22′ is shown attached end to end by a loopformed at one of their respective extremities, and then joined togetherby a bolt 21 inserted in the loop of each cable, typically of 1¼″ indiameter and 4½″ in length.

Referring to FIG. 5, each cable 22 is provided with a plurality ofsupport members 26, rigidly affixed thereon and disposed at regularintervals along the cable 22. By “rigidly affixed”, it is understoodthat the support members 26 are solidly pre-installed on the cables 22,before installation of the scaffold assembly, and are not removabletherefrom. In the preferred embodiment, the support members 26 are madeof steel, have a 2″ diameter and are pressed or clamped on the cables22. Although the support members are herein shown to be cylindrical,they could have a different cross-section, such as rectangular, or bevariable along the cable length.

The distance between consecutive support members 26 is a fixed valueselected between 250 mm and 1000 mm, and is preferably of about 500 mm.When the cables 22 are suspended, the support members 26 on a givencable 22 are in horizontal alignment with the support members 26 of theneighbouring cables 22, so that it is possible to affix a platform,stairway, guardrail, etc., at every support member height. In thismanner, all of the support members form a “grid” which serves as thebasis for the scaffold design and configuration. This feature isparticularly advantageous in that it allows the scaffolding to be veryversatile and adaptable to the needs of a particular job or tostructures of various configuration or geometry. It also facilitatesmodifications to these configurations after installation of thescaffold.

The scaffolding further includes a plurality of beams 36 mountedhorizontally between pairs of neighbouring cables 22. The beams 36 arepreferably made of steel but may be made of any other appropriate rigidmaterial. They may also be of a telescopic construction. The oppositeextremities of each beam 36 are provided with fastening assemblies 37for fastening the corresponding extremity of the beam 36 to a givencable 22, supported by one of the support members 26 on this cable 22.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, a fastening assembly 37 according to apreferred embodiment is illustrated, the fastening assembly 37 at eachextremity of a given beam 36 being provided with a pair of paralleltransversally projecting arms 38 disposed so as to be supported by thetop surface 39 of the corresponding support member. The arms 38 may beembodied by any appropriate members such as, for example, a clip, anH-clip, or an L-shaped metallic pin. The arms 38 are preferably affixedto the corresponding beam by bolts 40. A further bolt 40 is used tobridge the space between the arms 38 on the other side of the cable 22to prevent the cable 22 from slipping out of the space between theparallel arms. In alternative embodiments, the arms 38 may be welded tothe beam 36 or affixed thereto by any other appropriate means. It isunderstood that the above description of a fastening assembly is givenby way of example and that the beams may be retained to the cables inany way without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The suspended scaffold assembly of the present invention furtherincludes a plurality of scaffold elements mounted to the beams andpositioned so as to allow access to the structure. The scaffold elementsmay be embodied by aluminum platforms, as is well known in the art, orguard ramps or stairways, further adding to the versatility of thedesign. Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown two examples ofdifferent simple configurations which could be obtained with the presentinvention. FIG. 1 shows a series of platforms 42 installed so as tosurround a bridge pillar at four different levels. Guardrails 44 arealso provided. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, four cables 22 are disposedto form a stairwell in which stairways 46 are mounted, allowing workersto travel conveniently from one platform to another.

Typically, the guardrails 44 are made of pipes of ½″ or ¾″ in diameterbut could also be made of wire rope, nylon, wood, aluminum, pvc or anyother appropriate material. The guardrails 44 may be embodied by thesame beams 46 used to support the platforms and stairways, or may be ofa different construction. The support of each platform is preferablymade of hollow structural steel (HSS) of 2″×2″ and of a length of 42″along the width of the platform. The platforms may be made of metal,wood or plywood, steel, duckboard, aluminum, etc. The platformattachment means that allow the attachment of the platform to the beamspreferably include ½″ bolts with jam nuts. The stairways may be of anyappropriate construction and material and be provided or not withguardrails. Of course, these characteristics are given by way of exampleand are not limitative to the scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8 and 14A to 14C, in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention the scaffold assembly may be furtherprovided with adjustable support members 48 removably affixed to cables22 at intermediate positions between the rigidly affixed support members26 (see FIG. 14A). Contrary to the rigidly affixed support members 26,the adjustable support members may be added after installation of thescaffolding are preferably used to support guardrails only. Preferably,the adjustable support members 48 are made of two halves 28 and 30attached together and around the cable by bolts 32, typically ½″ indiameter for a steel cable of ⅝″ in diameter. The adjustable supportmembers 48 may be provided with a cable clamp 34 supporting it fromunderneath, as shown in FIGS. 6, 14B and 14C. In yet another embodiment,the adjustable support members could be embodied by wire clips or diskssuch as typically found in standard scaffoldings for fasteningcomponents together.

The present invention therefore provides a versatile scaffold assemblywhich is easy to install for one skilled in the art and may provideconvenient access to an elevated structure. In a previous realisation ofan embodiment of the invention, it was surprisingly possible to mount aforty-five-level suspended scaffold without difficulty, the overallstructure being very stable, and relatively inexpensive. Conveniently,the overall structure may be covered with a hood (not shown) attachedthereto, made for example out of plastic or strong cloth, that wouldallow workers to stay on the structure independently of bad weather orthe period of the year.

Advantageously, the cables with the pre-affixed support members, beams,and scaffold elements of the present invention may be sold in the formof a kit, which the user may install according to his particular needs.The accompanying mounting components may or may not be included as partof the kit.

Of course, numerous modifications could be made to the embodimentsdescribed above without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

1. A suspended scaffold assembly for allowing access to a structure,said assembly comprising: a plurality of cables suspended from anelevated portion of said structure, each cable having a plurality ofsupport members rigidly affixed thereon at regular intervals therealongwith a distance between consecutive support members being selectedbetween 250 mm and 1000 mm, the support members of neighbouring cablesbeing in alignment with each other; a plurality of beams, each mountedhorizontally between a pair of said cables, each beam having oppositeextremities each provided with a fastening assembly for fastening saidextremity to a respective cable of said pair of cables, said fasteningassembly being supported by one of the support members affixed to saidrespective cable; and a plurality of scaffold elements mounted to saidbeams and positioned so as to allow access to the structure.
 2. Asuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1, further comprisinganchoring means for anchoring said cables to said elevated portion ofthe structure.
 3. A suspended scaffold assembly according to claim 2,wherein said anchoring means comprise a plurality of outriggers.
 4. Asuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 3, wherein at least oneof said outriggers is attached directly to said structure.
 5. Asuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 3, wherein said anchoringmeans further comprise a counterweight supporting at least one of saidoutriggers.
 6. A suspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1,wherein said cables are made of a material selected from the groupcomprising threaded steel, nylon, aluminum and stainless steel.
 7. Asuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of saidsupport members has a cylindrical shape.
 8. A suspended scaffoldassembly according to claim 1, wherein each of said support members isaffixed to a corresponding one of said cables by pressing.
 9. Asuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of saidsupport members is affixed to a corresponding one of said cables byclamping.
 10. A suspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1,further comprising a plurality of adjustable support members removablyaffixed to at least a portion of said cables at intermediate positionsbetween said support members rigidly affixed thereon, said adjustablesupport members comprising two complementary halves positioned onopposite sides of a corresponding one of said cables, and fasteningmeans for fastening said complementary halves together and to saidcorresponding cable.
 11. A suspended scaffold assembly according toclaim 10, further comprising a plurality of cable clamps each mountedbeneath one of said adjustable support members.
 12. A suspended scaffoldassembly according to claim 1, wherein said distance between consecutivesupport members is of about 500 mm.
 13. The suspended scaffold assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein each of said support members is made ofsteel.
 14. The suspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1, whereinsaid beams are made of steel.
 15. The suspended scaffold assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein said fastening assembly provided at eachextremity of said beams comprises: a pair of arms projectinglongitudinally away from said extremity, each arms of said pair having aproximate end affixed to said extremity of the corresponding beam and adistal end opposite the proximate end, said arms further defining aspace therebetween adapted to receive the corresponding cable therein;and a stopper bridging said space at the distal end of the arms toprevent the corresponding cable from slipping out of said space.
 16. Thesuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 15, wherein the proximateend of said arms is affixed to the extremity of the corresponding beamby means selected from the group comprising bolts and welding.
 17. Thesuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 15, wherein said stoppercomprises a bolt.
 18. The suspended scaffold assembly according to claim15, wherein said arms rest on a top surface of a corresponding supportmember so as to be supported thereby.
 19. The suspended scaffoldassembly according to claim 1, wherein said scaffold elements compriseat least one scaffold platform.
 20. The suspended scaffold assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein said scaffold elements comprise at leastone stairway.
 21. The suspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1,wherein said scaffold elements comprise at least one guardrail.
 22. Thesuspended scaffold assembly according to claim 1, wherein said scaffoldelements comprise a plurality of scaffold platforms and a plurality ofstairways providing communication between said scaffold platforms.
 23. Asuspended scaffolding kit mountable to allow access to a structure, saidkit comprising: a plurality of cables suspendable from an elevatedportion of said structure, each cable having a plurality of supportmembers rigidly affixed thereon, said support members being disposedalong said cables at regular intervals with a distance betweenconsecutive support members being selected between 250 mm and 1000 mm; aplurality of beams, each mountable horizontally between a pair of saidcables, each beam having opposite extremities each provided with afastening assembly for fastening said extremity to a respective cable ofsaid pair of cables in a supported relationship with any one of thesupport members affixed to said respective cable; and a plurality ofscaffold elements mountable to said beams so as to allow access to thestructure.
 24. A suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23,wherein said cables are made of a material selected from the groupcomprising threaded steel, nylon, aluminum and stainless steel.
 25. Asuspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23, wherein each of saidsupport members has a cylindrical shape.
 26. A suspended scaffolding kitaccording to claim 23, wherein each of said support members is affixedto a corresponding one of said cables by pressing.
 27. A suspendedscaffolding kit according to claim 23, wherein each of said supportmembers is affixed to a corresponding one of said cables by clamping.28. A suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23, furthercomprising a plurality of adjustable support members removably affixedto at least a portion of said cables at intermediate positions betweensaid support members rigidly affixed thereon, said adjustable supportmembers comprising two complementary halves positioned on opposite sidesof a corresponding one of said cables, and fastening means for fasteningsaid complementary halves together and to said corresponding cable. 29.A suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 28, further comprising aplurality of cable clamps each mounted beneath one of said adjustablesupport members.
 30. A suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23,wherein said distance between consecutive support members is of about500 mm.
 31. The suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23, whereineach of said support members is made of steel.
 32. The suspendedscaffolding kit according to claim 23, wherein said beams are made ofsteel.
 33. The suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23, whereinsaid fastening assembly provided at each extremity of said beamscomprises: a pair of arms projecting longitudinally away from saidextremity, each arms of said pair having a proximate end affixed to saidextremity of the corresponding beam and a distal end opposite theproximate end, said arms further defining a space therebetween adaptedto receive the corresponding cable therein; and a stopper for bridgingsaid space at the distal end of the arms to prevent the correspondingcable from slipping out of said space.
 34. The suspended scaffolding kitaccording to claim 33, wherein the proximate end of said arms is affixedto the extremity of the corresponding beam by means selected from thegroup comprising bolts and welding.
 35. The suspended scaffolding kitaccording to claim 33, wherein said stopper comprises a bolt.
 36. Thesuspended scaffolding kit according to claim 33, wherein said arms areadapted to rest on a top surface of a corresponding support member so asto be supported thereby.
 37. The suspended scaffolding kit according toclaim 23, wherein said scaffold elements comprise a plurality ofscaffold platforms.
 38. The suspended scaffolding kit according to claim23, wherein said scaffold elements comprise a plurality of stairways.39. The suspended scaffolding kit according to claim 23, wherein saidscaffold elements comprise a plurality of guardrails.
 40. The suspendedscaffolding kit according to claim 23, wherein said scaffold elementscomprise a plurality of scaffold platforms and a plurality of stairwaysfor providing communication between said scaffold platforms.